I Can't Sleep

Hi There
My bubba is 9 weeks old now and waking once or twice a night. On average he'll wake for the first time at around 3am and we're up anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before I can get him back down (I try not to stimulate him but he has usually done a big pooh so I have to change his nappy and rewrap him), so I'm wide awake by the time I go back to bed. Then I just can't get back to sleep at all before he wakes up again at around 6am!! I also get quite anxious as he wriggles a lot during this second lot of night sleep and I've found him with his swaddle over his face 3 times so I'm constantly looking at the monitor to make sure he's ok. I've spent a fortune on swaddles as he's 6.5kg already and really strong so fights his way out of the muslin but can get his arms round the front of the Mum2Mum Dream Swaddle AND the Miracle Blanket too so often raises them over his face. So between me fully waking to feed and settle him and then worrying about him covering his face I'm awake while my baby sleeps. Has anyone got any tips on how I can get back to sleep, I'm soooo tired and can't keep being awake from 3am every day!!!!
Thanks a lot smile

Hi, once my son began wriggling a lot in bed, and i found him with blankets on his head we brought a grobag off trademe and just had him in that. He hates the blankets being on so I just brought another bag, that way he is warm (they are made in different thicknesses) and his arms are free. At night once he's asleep we cover him. If I get up to him during the night I check the blanket and if I'm concerned I'll take it off as I know he's warm in the sleeping bag.
I'm sorry you aren't able to get back to sleep. Have you tried listening to white noise? It helped my son for a whole so I tried it too smile

Thanks so much for your reply. I've tried him in a sleeping bag as this would solve my anxiety but as he's only 9 weeks old his startle reflex is still huge so if his arms are out he wakes himself constantly. I did consider getting some of the sleepy wings from the sleep store. Has anyone tried these?

How about trying a 'Love to dream swaddle' I found this good.
Have you tried relaxation breathing - tummy breathing? I always struggle with getting back to sleep, so sorry not much help

Good suggestion, all the other swaddles/techniques I've tried are arms down so given this is arms up it may well be a good alternative. Thanks a lot smile

The 50/50 love to dream swaddles look great, by the time I saw them he was already in a sleeping bag and loved it!

You can scrap the swaddle. Put him in a pair of warm PJs or a grow bag. And you can scrap all the blankies and other bedding. Ours just sleep in their warm PJs cause they wriggle out of everything else. That way there are no pillows or bedding that they could get stuck in.

@MrsClaus don't you find they wake themselves up with their startle reflex, at 9 weeks his startle reflex is huge and when I don't swaddle him he wakes constantly??

I think every woman goes through it. I used to sleep together with my baby during the day time, ususally after lunch. It helped me to stay awake at night when my kid needed me.

That would be so great if he actually slept during the day. ... he doesn't

I had my babies in a basinet which had holes in the sides or cot right next to me so I would hold hands or cradle thru the bars or just turn my back. To be honest I did swaddle my second two, but not my first two babies. Sometimes and they slept easier with the swaddle on but they wiggled out and usually ended up just sleeping in the clothes they were in. At about 3 months they transitioned to the cot, where I did not swaddle any longer.

Hi, my little man was wrapped in a muslin wrap until he was about 7 months old!
I swaddled him so his arms were up by laying the wrap out, folding the top down about 5 inches, tucking his hands into the folded part & then wrapping around his body. He could get his hands into his mouth to suck on them but couldn't get them free (until he was about 4 months old anyway).